NWF to Honor Michael Mann with Conservation Achievement Award

"No one has put more on the line in the name of climate science than Dr. Michael Mann."

09-23-2013
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Miles Grant

The National Wildlife Federation will honor Dr. Michael Mann with its 2013 National Conservation Achievement Award for Science at a September 25 event in Harrisburg hosted by PennFuture, NWF's state affiliate.

"No one has put more on the line in the name of climate science than Dr. Michael Mann. He’s repeatedly gone all-in against polluters and their allies, staking his reputation on the integrity of climate science – and he’s won every time," said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "Dr. Mann’s tireless work to advance our understanding of climate science, help the public understand global warming and speak out for what must be done to confront it is an invaluable contribution to this and future generations of Americans."

Dr. Mann serves as director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University. He is most well known for publication, with two co-authors, of the 1998 paper “Global-scale temperature patterns and climate forcing over the past six centuries." This research presented the "hockey stick graph" showing the rapid rise in the Earth’s temperature of the past 100 years, associated with carbon emissions.

"I am deeply humbled by this award. Never did I imagine, when my co-authors and I published the 'hockey stick' curve a decade and a half ago, that I would find myself at the center of the larger debate over human-caused climate change,” said Dr. Mann. "I’m honored to be able to inform the public discourse over the greatest threat humans have ever faced, the threat of dangerous climate change. And I am deeply appreciative of groups like the National Wildlife Federation that have provided scientists like me with support and assistance in getting the message out to the wider public."

"Dr. Mann's drumbeat on climate change offers tremendous support to our work as we champion carbon pollution standards that will lead to cleaner air for Pennsylvania and beyond," said Jim Abernathy, interim president and CEO of PennFuture. "He is fearless in moving the climate change conversation forward, and he brings the science to back it up. Our cause could have no better spokesperson."

Related Resources

Conservation Achievements Awards- A History

Watch NWF's Conservation Achievement Awards video on the history of the awards and past honorees.